1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of measuring a person's height and an associated apparatus for implementation of the method.
2. Description of Prior Art
Typical height measurement devices used in doctors' offices consist of a vertical member marked with a height scale and attached either to the wall or to a floor base. These devices measure a person's height relative to the floor, often using a movable horizontal member which slides up and down the vertical member and indicates the person's height as a position on the vertical height scale when the horizontal member is rested on the person's head. Electronic measurement approaches in these devices usually center on tracking the vertical position of the movable horizontal member electronically and displaying the associated height measurement. Such electronic measurement approaches are expensive and offer little advantage over reading the height measurement manually from a printed scale.
Other electronic distance measurement technologies, such as ultrasonic or laser range finding, are sufficiently accurate and cheaper. However, these sensors cannot be placed directly on top of a patient's head and measure the distance to the floor. In order to measure the distance to the floor, these sensors need a clear line of sight to the floor. Offsetting the sensors from the patient's head far enough to provide this line of sight adds mechanical complexity to measurement devices and increases the potential for error due to the sensors not being level with the top of the patient's head. Additionally, there is a possibility that a downward-looking sensor will detect some object closer than the floor and therefore give an inaccurate height measurement.